In 2003-04, wage and salary earners residing in the Western Australian metropolitan Statistical Local Areas (SLAs) of Peppermint Grove (S) and Cottesloe (T), were amongst the top ten SLAs in terms of average wage and salary incomes across Australia, ranked ninth and tenth respectively. Of the other top ten SLAs across Australia, seven were located in New South Wales and one was located in Victoria.

Of the Western Australian SLAs, wage and salary earners in Peppermint Grove (S) had the highest average wage and salary incomes in 2003-04, followed by those in Cottesloe (T), Nedlands (C), Ashburton (S) and Claremont (T). Of these SLAs, four were located in metropolitan Western Australia with Ashburton (S) the exception, located in the Pilbara region and known for mining and agriculture.

MAP 5.1: STATISTICAL LOCAL AREAS WITH THE HIGHEST AVERAGE WAGE AND SALARY INCOMESelected Statistical Local Areas, Western Australia, 2003-04

In the metropolitan SLAs of Peppermint Grove (S), Cottesloe (T), Nedlands (S) and Claremont (T), between 34% to 39% of wage and salary earners worked as Professionals, around double the Western Australian average of 18%. Of the SLAs with 100 or more wage and salary earners, Nedlands (C) had the second highest proportion of employees working as Professionals in Australia, following the SLA of Subiaco (C) which is also located in metropolitan Western Australia. Peppermint Grove (S) and Cottesloe (T) were ranked third and fourth across Australia in terms of the proportion of employees working as Professionals.

In Ashburton (S) nearly a quarter of wage and salary earners were employed as Intermediate production and transport workers, well above the Western Australian average of 8%. Following Intermediate production and transport workers, the next highest proportion of employees in this SLA worked as Tradespersons and related workers at 19%, with Ashburton (S) having one of the highest proportions of employees working as Tradespersons and related workers in Australia.

TABLE 5.2: PROPORTION OF WAGE AND SALARY EARNERS BY OCCUPATION,Selected Statistical Local Areas, Western Australia, 2003-04

In terms of the distribution of wage and salary earners throughout the wage and salary income ranges, Ashburton (S) had different characteristics compared to the metropolitan SLAs. In Ashburton (S) 35% of wage and salary earners had an income from wages and salaries of $78,000 or more, compared to around 19% of wage and salary earners in this income range in the metropolitan SLAs. Across Western Australia, 7% of wage and salary earners had a wage and salary income in the $78,000 or more range.

In Ashburton (S), the proportions of employees in all other income ranges was below the Western Australian average, with notable differences in the $20,800 to under $31,200 and the $31,200 to under $41,600 income ranges. In Ashburton (S) 19% of employees had an income in one of these two ranges, compared to 35% of employees across Western Australia.

TABLE 5.3: PROPORTION OF WAGE AND SALARY EARNERS BY WAGE AND SALARY INCOME RANGES,Selected Statistical Local Areas, Western Australia, 2003-04

Across Western Australia there were more male wage and salary earners than female wage and salary earners. Of the SLAs with the highest average wage and salary incomes, Ashburton (S) had the greatest difference between the proportions of male and female wage and salary earners with males accounting for 60% of the wage and salary earner population. This difference is likely to reflect the employment opportunities available in this SLA and the remoteness of the region.

GRAPH 5.1: PROPORTION OF WAGE AND SALARY EARNERS BY SEX,Selected Statistical Local Areas, Western Australia, 2003-04

In Ashburton (S) the greatest proportion of wage and salary earners were in the 25 to 34 year age group at 32% and the lowest proportion were aged 55 years and over at 7%. Of the five SLAs with the highest average wage and salary incomes, Ashburton (S) was the only SLA to have a proportion of wage and salary earners in the 55 years and over age group which was below the state average.

Overall, in Ashburton (S), 60% of the wage and salary earners were aged 25 to 44 years, compared to 47% of wage and salary earners across Western Australia.

TABLE 5.4: PROPORTION OF WAGE AND SALARY EARNERS BY AGE,Selected Statistical Local Areas, Western Australia, 2003-04

The total income of wage and salary earners relates to their wage and salary income in addition to any income or loss from sources such as investments, superannuation and annuities, own unincorporated businesses and government cash benefits.

In Western Australia, wage and salary earners in the metropolitan SLAs with the highest average wage and salary incomes had more income from sources other than wages and salaries than the state average. Of these SLAs, Peppermint Grove (S) had the largest difference at $9,049, followed by Cottesloe (T) ($8,985) and Nedlands (C) ($6,683).

In Ashburton (S), in 2003-04, employees had an average total income that was slightly lower than the average wage and salary income. This is likely to have been influenced by, on average, loss through investments or own unincorporated businesses.

Ashburton (S) exhibits characteristics which are typical of a number of the SLAs with a mining focus with predominantly young, male wage and salary earners with high wage and salary incomes working as tradespersons and related workers, intermediate production and transport workers or labourers and related workers. Other high ranking mining SLAs with similar profiles also had lower than average income from sources other than wages and salaries.

TABLE 5.5: AVERAGE WAGE AND SALARY INCOME, AVERAGE TOTAL INCOME AND DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AVERAGE TOTAL INCOME AND AVERAGE WAGE AND SALARY INCOME,Selected Statistical Local Areas, Western Australia, 2003-04

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